Correction: In Saturday's print edition, this article stated the planned amount of the donation — about $6,000 — but McQueen surprised fans with a check worth $10,020 at halftime, after the Record Searchlight's print deadline.

Competition took a backseat to compassion Friday night at Enterprise High as one of the biggest stories of the night had little to do with football.

When the visiting team, the McQueen Lancers, arrived in Redding from Reno, they brought with them a check worth $10,020 — about $4,000 more than expected — to help Carr Fire victims recover.

"They're gonna be presenting a check to the Shasta County superintendent, Judy Flores, at halftime during our game," Enterprise coach Chris Combs said before the game. "It's a very nice thing for them to do."

The gesture was the idea of McQueen head coach Jim Snelling and his wife, who cared deeply about the Redding area long before the Carr Fire attracted national headlines.

Snelling and his family have roots in the North State. His wife was part of Foothill's first graduating class. And Snelling himself played football for Fall River before moving on to Shasta College and the University of Nevada-Reno.

As a tight end at Fall River in the early 1990s, he played on the same team as Alan Cummings, father of Enterprise's current starting quarterback, Leslie Cummings.

Snelling said he and his wife came up with the idea to start a fundraiser for Carr Fire victims after watching the blaze rip toward Redding. After talking with superintendent Flores, he learned about 260 students in the area lost homes to the fire.

Snelling and his wife jumped into action. They were close with the owners of a Starbucks in northwest Reno, so they solicited donations outside the coffee shop.

Snelling said they raised $1,400 the first weekend. Soon, the fundraiser grew as parents, players and cheerleaders at McQueen got involved. Players handed out coupon cards and asked for $20 donations for victims. Snelling said some donors gave $100.

Money is still being raised according to McQueen athletic director Tobey Hilliard, who said donations were still pouring in Friday morning.

Enterprise's QB, Leslie Cummings (18) leaps into the end zone for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter of the game on Friday, Aug. 24, against McQueen (Reno, NV). The Hornet lost to McQueen, 14 - 51. Photo by Hung T. Vu - Special to the Record Searchlight